


A Place to Call Home

by Ellie226



Series: The Community [15]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Play, Daddy Kink, F/M, Multi, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-01-18 00:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12377532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie226/pseuds/Ellie226
Summary: Matt and Emily are secure in the knowledge that the extended family loves them. Ben? Not so much.





	1. Chapter 1

Matt's POV

"Daddy?"

I'd been working on case notes in my office when Ben interrupted me, and I set my laptop to the side, patting my lap.

"Yeah, peanut?" I asked, helping him curl up.

He wasn't looking at me, snuggled as he was against my chest. Instead, he was playing with the hem of my shirt. That usually meant something had upset him.

"Ben," I prodded, when he didn't respond. "Sweetpea? What's up?"

"I just-" he trailed off.

I gave him a minute before bouncing my legs a bit, saying, "You just what, peanut? What're you thinking about?"

Emily and Ben had been together in the playroom, keeping themselves entertained while I worked, and I began to guess.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"No, Daddy."

Nodding, I asked, "Are you sleepy?"

He wasn't sleepy either. He didn't feel sick. He didn't have a headache. Emily was playing nicely, and I really grilled him on that one.

"Okay, sweetpea," I announced. "Daddy's out. What's got you upset?"

"I was thinking," he said softly.

I'd guessed that much, but I patiently asked him, "About what?"

It took him another minute before responding to that, explaining, "I think maybe I should stay home this weekend."

"What?" 

We were supposed to go to my parents' cabin next weekend. Both of my brothers were out of town, although Nana would be there. I was hoping that the fact that it was only a few people would make things easier. Emily was looking forward to it, but I'd been noticing Ben getting quieter as we got closer to the day.

"I just-" he sighed, heavily, telling me, "maybe your mommy and daddy would prefer to just have family. 's'all."

"You are family," I gently reminded, hugging him. "You're my Ben. And my mom and dad really want to meet you, peanut. So does Nana."

"Maybe it would be better if just you and Em'ly went," he suggested. "It's okay, Daddy. I could stay here by my own self. I would be really good. Or, maybe Aunt Sarah would let me stay with her and Mikey, if you don't want me all alone all weekend."

"I want you with us," I explained to him. 

He didn't respond to that, and I asked, "Why don't you want to go, Ben?"

That got me a shrug, as he whispered, "I just think your mommy and daddy would prefer I not be there."

"Well, you're wrong," I explained. "My family is really excited to meet you. My mom is really excited about you visiting."

"What if she don't like me?"

"I don't think that's possible," I told him, brushing my fingers through his curls. "Who couldn't like my Ben?"

"Nobody," Emily scoffed from the doorway, arms crossed.

"Hey, Em," I smiled at her. "Done playing?"

"Ben dis'ppeared," she said. 

"He's just in here," I replied. "We're having a little chat."

Ben didn't look at her as he informed her, "In privacy, Em."

I expected Em to be upset at that, but she simply nodded, telling me, "I'll be in the playroom, Daddy. You come get me if my Ben needs me."

"Thank you," I mouthed over his head.

She waved it off, turning away and going off to play on her own. She was being very easygoing about this, and I resolved to do something special to reward her.

Navigating the difference between privacy and exclusion was not easy. I was happy that Ben had managed to express that he needed some time alone to work through this. I was relieved that Em hadn't fought with me about it.

"They're going to love you," I informed him. "Just as much as Em and I do."

"But what if they don't?" he asked frantically. 

I shrugged, "I don't think that's going to happen."

"But if they don't like me-"

He cut himself off, making me curious. I prompted, "If they don't like you, then what, sweetpea? What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"I'm not for real family," he whispered. "If they don't like me...I like it here, Daddy. It's just better if I don't go. If I don't come, then you can have fun."

I was thoroughly concerned as to what he thought was going to happen if my family didn't like him. I wasn't worried about the possibility of them not liking Ben. I hadn't been joking when I'd asked who wouldn't like him; the idea was incomprehensible to me, that anyone could meet Ben and not fall in love. 

We'd spent time on Facetime and the phone, and they were all really excited to get to meet the newest member of our family. I knew they were going to love him in person, as much as I did.

"Honey, what do you think will happen if they don't like you?" I asked quietly.

His chin wobbled as he explained, "I don't want to have to go someplace else. If they don't like me, maybe you and Em..."

"What, Ben?" I asked, guessing where this was going. "Do you think we'd stop loving you just because someone else doesn't like you?"

"People do," he said sadly, sounding very certain.

Ben's POV

Sometimes, it was hard to talk to Emily and Daddy. It was like they didn't understand the way the world outside their bubble worked. I sighed heavily, trying to explain life to him. 

"Your mommy and daddy are your mommy and daddy," I explained patiently. "Forever. And they like Emily, and you’re married anyway. But they might not like me so much. And what if they say, 'We don't want to see Ben ever again.'? You would pick them instead of me. Because you have to."

"No," Daddy told me, sounding sad. "No, honey, that wouldn't happen. Even if my mom and dad told me that, which they won't, it wouldn't matter. You're my Ben. Forever and ever and ever."

"You don't know," I said softly. 

I loved Daddy and Emily so much. I loved being their Ben and living in their house. I loved bedtime stories and bubble baths and cuddling together on the couch while we watched movies.

More than just about anything, I wanted them to pick me, but I knew that was selfish. Daddy’s family made him happy.

They were really nice when we talked on the phone, and Emily talked about everyone like they were the best people in the world. It wasn't hard to believe, since Daddy was...Daddy. 

It would make him really sad if they hated him. If they didn't like me, he'd have to pick. I didn't want him to have to pick.

Matt's POV

Ben looked really sad, and I hugged him and crooned softly for a while, waiting for him to say something, anything, that made sense.

I wasn't worried about this trip. My family was going to love Ben. Nana had already alluded to some gift she was making him, and my mom had asked what all of his favorite foods were. 

This wasn't like when I first started bringing Emily home, when everything was a secret. A year before Em and I had gotten married, we'd slipped at breakfast one morning. My parents said they didn't want details, but they were surprisingly accepting of everything.

I really shouldn't be surprised. They'd always been like that, happy so long as my brothers and I were happy. This was a new level of acceptance though, and I was very relieved. For all of us, but mostly for Ben. We could be ourselves. I tried to be a bit more discreet when we were with family, but we were still able to be us.

"I want you to listen to me," I said, keeping my voice low and calm as I explained. "You're family now, Ben. And my family is very excited to meet you. They love talking to you on Facetime. They're going to love you."

"But-"

"No buts," I corrected. "They're going to love you. And if they didn't, Em and I wouldn't care. We love you."

"But-"

"Benjamin," I raised an eyebrow, squeezing. "We love you. I promise. You're safe here; Emily and I love you."

"What if they don't like me?" he cried.

That was how he was feeling, and I couldn't keep fighting him on it, so I shrugged, "Then they don't like you. And we deal with it."

That didn't seem to make him feel better, and he sat on my lap crying for a while. Emily, who had been very patient, came running when she heard that.

"What did you do?" she asked me, very accusatory.

"Nothing," Ben insisted, looking at her and shaking his head. "'s'not Daddy's fault, Em'ly."

Looking up at me, he said, "Em is just protective, Daddy."

"I know, peanut," I replied. "She's our little bulldog sometimes."

"I'm not in trouble, Ben," Emily told him, coming to the couch and sitting beside me so she could look at him as she talked. 

"No, she's not," I agreed.

"But why is he upset, Daddy?" Emily asked, looking at me, clearly unwilling to let me completely off the hook.

I hugged him, waiting to see if he'd be willing to explain. When he didn't, I said, "He's nervous about next weekend, baby. That's all."

"That's ridiculous, Ben," Emily told him severely, not coddling him as I'd expected. "Next weekend is going to be super fun. Daddy's family is really nice, and Nana makes the best food on earth. All of Daddy's really good dessert recipes are hers, and I bet she'll make pie every night."

I wanted to tell Emily that Ben wasn't being ridiculous, that he was just nervous, but he interrupted, asking, "Cherry?"

Ben had a pie problem, but he especially loved cherry, and Emily nodded, "Course, my Ben. Daddy told them you like cherry best."

"What else?" he asked her, still sounding nervous.

Pulling her feet up on the couch, Emily looked at the ceiling and thought for a moment before she said, "There'll be pie, def'nitely. Because I've never ever gone to anything with Nana where there isn't. And we'll play lots of games. Nana is really good at Rummikub and Scrabble. And we'll swim, right, Daddy?"

"If it's warm enough," I agreed. 

The lake would likely be cold this time of year, but that wouldn't keep us out of it. Em was right. It would be an orgy of food, not just pie, but anything that my mother and Nana thought would tempt Ben. They'd spend half the trip trying to fatten him up, if I knew anything about either of them. 

"It's going to be really fun, Ben," Emily reassured, squeezing his hand. "And I'll be with you, so it's okay. If you need to take a break, then we'll go for a walk or something. There's nothing to be scared of."

Ben seemed to relax a bit as Emily talked with him about what to expect. It wasn't anything that I hadn't told him, but coming from Em, it was different. After a bit, he scooted off my lap and cuddled next to her, listening as she told stories of all of the holidays she'd spent with my family.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben's POV

 

Em was so sure that everything would be okay, and it was easy to let her make me feel better. We got all the way up to Wednesday night before my tummy started hurting again.

 

"Daddy?" I said, finding him in our bedroom. He was packing, and Em and I were supposed to be cleaning up the playroom so it wasn't a disaster when we got home.

 

"Yeah, peanut?" he asked, distracted. "Playroom clean?"

 

"Mostly," I replied, standing in the doorway and watching him for a minute. "You're really busy?"

 

"Well, I'm trying to get us packed," Daddy explained.

 

He stopped though, looking up as he told me that, and he immediately held out a hand, asking, "What's up, Ben?"

 

"My tummy hurts," I explained, not moving from the doorway.

 

He came to me then, picking me up and holding me on his hip as he felt my forehead and announced, "No fever. Let's get you some ginger ale. Does that sound good?"

 

I nodded, resting my head on his shoulder, and I let him carry me down to the kitchen. Daddy chatted about stuff, but I kind of just let his voice float around without paying much attention.

 

Matt's POV

 

"Ben isn't helping, Daddy," Emily announced, walking into the kitchen and sounding very aggrieved. 

 

I nodded, gesturing to the little boy that I'd settled into the armchair, "He's got a tummy ache, Em. I'm getting him something to help."

 

She still looked pouty at that, and I couldn't entirely blame her. Ben needed me to pay attention to him right now, but the playroom was reaching terrifying proportions, and Em hadn't accomplished that on her own.

 

“How about you grab the iPad and pick out a couple of movies to download?” I suggested. “We’re going to need something to watch in the car.”

 

Her pout disappeared, but she now looked a little worried, and she said, “Ben needs to help. Because he’s gotta make choices.”

 

“He does,” I agreed, amused by the quick shift between indignation at Ben not helping and concern about him. “I’m going to get him some ginger ale, and we’ll give that a minute to settle his tummy. You pick out two movies, and Ben can pick out two when he feels better.”

 

“Okay,” she nodded agreeably, practically skipping out of the kitchen.

 

“You still need to clean the playroom,” I informed them both quickly, knowing that she thought she’d gotten out of it. “Once Ben feels better.”

 

“Daddddyyyyy,” she turned to groan. “Why do you even care? It’s our playroom. It’s not like I walk into the office and say, ‘This room is a mess, Matthew. Clean it up.’ Because I don’t care. Because that’s your space. And the playroom is our space.”

 

“Good argument,” I told her, rolling my eyes. “It’s as compelling as it was when you tried it this morning. But you still have to clean the playroom.”   
  


“Daaaaaddddyyyyy,” she whined again.

 

“Daddy’s office isn’t never messy anyways,” Ben piped up, taking his thumb out of his mouth for the single sentence before popping it right back in.

 

“It is,” Em argued, sounding like she didn’t believe herself.

 

“Yeah, when the two of you have been in there coloring while I do paperwork,” I reminded her. “Go get the iPad, baby.”

 

“That’s not polite,” she reminded me, hands on her hips. “You’re supposed to say please.”

 

“Emily,” I gave her my full attention now, setting down the ice tray and focusing entirely on her, “are you getting nervous about spending time away from home?”

 

“No,” she said, indignantly.

 

“Uh huh,” I leaned against the counter and reminded her, “because you sometimes decide to act up right before we leave on a vacation. If that’s what’s going on, I can go ahead and spank you now and save us both time.”

 

“No,” she told me quickly. “Why do you always gotta jump to spanking? I’m not even breaking any rules.”

 

I raised an eyebrow, “You’re arguing quite a bit. And no, that’s not typically enough for me to spank you, but if that’s where it’s going, we might as well just cut to the chase and finish it.”

 

“I don’t want a spanking,” she stated sternly.

 

“Alright then,” I agreed amiably, returning to pouring ice and ginger ale into the special sippy cup that Ben preferred. “Go ahead and do what I told you to, please.”

 

“That’s all I wanted,” Em muttered, walking away. “A simple please.”

 

Ben was doing his big eyed watching, and I quickly picked him up and resettled him onto my lap, handing him the sippy cup.

 

“She’s bein’ bad,” he told me. 

 

“Em’s being a little sassy,” I admitted. “She gets like that sometimes. It’s mostly just funny.”

 

“Yeah, ‘cept you said she’s going to get spanked, so it’s not funny this time.”

 

“You wanna know a secret?” I asked him, shifting the little boy so that he could curl against me more comfortably and nudging at the sippy cup. When he nodded, I explained, “It’s still a little bit funny. Sassy Emily is funny; that’s just how it is.”

 

“How come you’re going to spank her if you like it?”

 

I tapped the cup again, “Drink that, sweetpea. Because Em doesn’t like it when I let it go too far. And, when Em doesn’t like something, she starts being a little brat, and so I’m trying to nip it in the bud.”

 

Ben sipped slowly at the ginger ale, and I said, “She’s just feeling a little nervous. Like you. It’s okay, peanut. I might need to spank her, but that’s no big deal.”

 

“Why’s Em nervous?” he asked me.

 

“Because it’s very comfortable here,” I told him. “We can all be exactly ourselves. And a couple of times a year, Emily and I, and now you, leave here and go someplace else. And then, we have to be more discreet, and that can be stressful.”

 

“But your mommy and daddy know,” Ben reminded me, brow puckered.

 

“They do,” I conceded. “And they’re fine with it. And you can call me daddy, and I expect you to follow our rules and listen when we’re there. But, we’ve got to drive and stay at a hotel to get there. And even though my mom and dad know, it’s not the same as being here. I really try hard not to spank Em when we’re visiting just because it’s private.”

 

“Wasn’t private last time,” Emily grumbled from the doorway, holding the iPad.

 

“I told you what would happen,” I reminded her firmly. 

 

Ben sat up, pulling my shirt, “What happened last time?”

 

“Well-”

 

“Let me tell it,” Emily ordered.

 

I caught Ben’s hand before he stretched out my shirt, telling Emily, “You want to try that again?”

 

She sighed, but said, “I would like to tell the story, please, Mr. Daddy sir.”

 

“You’re a brat,” I informed her, evicting Ben from my lap. “You and Ben go on and clean the playroom, and you can tell him the story while you do it. And I’ll finish packing.”

 

“But my tummy still hurts,” Ben wheedled, trying to sit back down on my lap.   
  


“I’ve cuddled you, and I got you ginger ale, and you know right where I am,” I told him, keeping my voice firm. “And you do need to help Emily.”

 

I knew it seemed mean. Emily was staring daggers at me, but I’d comforted, and now, what Ben needed, was Emily. He’d cling to me when I was available, but hearing Emily’s stories about going home would help him too. He was shifting around enough on my lap now that I knew his tummy wasn’t hurting that badly anymore. Emily was always good at distracting him.

 

Plus, I really needed to pack.

 

Emily’s POV

 

“My tummy huuuurts,” Ben whined, when we got to the playroom.

 

“I know,” I replied, hugging him. “Daddy’s bein’ a meany. He gets worried when we gotta go someplace because there’s stuff and things to do.”

 

“Daddy’s not mean,” Ben told me loyally, pulling away.

 

“He is sometimes,” I informed him. “You lay down on the couch, my Ben.”

 

“Daddy said to help,” Ben said uncertainly, even as he went over to the couch and allowed me to cover him up.

 

I smiled in satisfaction that he was listening, explaining, “Daddy wants the playroom clean. So long as I don’t care that I’m doing the cleaning, he won’t care.”

 

I added a silent probably in my head. Daddy would maybe care a little bit, but I liked my toys put away a certain way. Ben would put stuff away because he was good, but he wouldn’t put it away right. And as messy as I could be, if I had to spend time cleaning, I wanted it done right.

 

Handing Ben the iPad, I ordered, “Pick yours,” figuring that would provide a little cover if Daddy wasn’t so much happy that I wasn’t making Ben help.

 

“What happened last time?” Ben asked, around his thumb, fiddling with the tablet but not doing much else.

 

Making a face, I said, “I got in trouble.”

 

He waited, and I busied myself with putting the books away on the shelf, thinking about what had happened and the best way to tell the story.

 

“He didn’t do it in front of anybody, ‘xactly,” I explained. “But...I was maybe not so much supposed to go swimming because Daddy said I’d get sick again. It wasn’t even that cold, but he was bein’ bossy with me. And I didn’t even really go swimming.”

 

Ben looked a little skeptical when I glanced at him to gauge the response, and I reiterated, “He was, my Ben. Daddy can be bossy just to be bossy sometimes. He thinks he needs to, but he doesn’t.”

 

My Ben still looked like he maybe didn’t believe me, but I settled back into shelving books and continued my story.

 

“I had maybe been a little bit sick before we visited last time,” I allowed. “So I wasn’t supposed to swim. So, I didn’t. I went down to the lake to look for stones to skip, and the water just looked so good…”

 

“So you went swimming?” Ben asked, sitting up and looking scandalized. “By yourself, Em? That’s not safe. That’s very very very against the rules.”

 

Daddy and I had explained all the cabin rules to Ben about fifty million times because he’d been nervous, and not swimming without at least one other person was definitely a rule. Daddy had also informed us that Ben and I could not be each other’s swimming buddies, and he meant a big person.

 

“I didn’t go swimming,” I defended. I wasn’t dumb. The swimming rule probably made more sense than just about any rule anybody had. It wasn’t because we were little. It’s because swimming by yourself was really not safe. Everybody knew that.

 

“Then why did you get in trouble?” Ben narrowed his eyes.

 

I rolled my own in retaliation, saying, “I didn’t go swimming. I just maybe kicked off my sneakers and I already had on shorts, and then I maybe stepped in the water. It’s fun, my Ben. I like the sinking in the sand. Except then Daddy found me, and he was Not Amused.”

 

“And he spanked you? In front of people?”

 

“No,” I shook my head. “Daddy wouldn’t spank in front of them. Or anybody not like us. But, we did have to go on a walk, and he was really ma-” I cut myself off, remembering what Daddy had said about using the word “mad” to describe a reason for a punishment. Ben didn’t like it.

 

“Daddy was mad?”

 

“No,” I shrugged, “he was not happy, but he wasn’t mad. It was just him, but you can see the lake from the porch, so he made me get out of the water and put my shoes on, then we had to go for a little walk by ourselves.”

 

“Then what?” 

 

“He spanked me. Outside, Ben! He walked us off far enough away that we had privacy, but he took down my jeans and spanked me.”

 

“Bare?” Ben looked and sounded horrified, and I had to shake my head.

 

“No, he let me keep my jeans.” 

 

Ben looked less horrified now, and I felt the need to say, “But it didn’t feel good. He gets going, and the underwear doesn’t help.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I spank you,” Daddy said, far too dryly, in my opinion, from his position in the doorway. “Ben, I thought I said you had to help?”

 

“I told him to pick his movies first,” I informed him. “My Ben is picking, then he’ll tidy while I pick. We worked it out.”

 

“Uh huh.”

 

Matt raised an eyebrow, and I waved my hands, “You go ‘way now, Daddy. I gotta finish telling Ben my tale of mistreatment and woe.”

 

That made Daddy laugh, and he bent over to kiss the top of my head, “Mistreatment and woe? I guess I’ll leave you to it, then.”

 

As soon as he left, Ben asked, “So nobody saw him spank you?”

 

“No, but it was still embarrassing. And he made me go to bed early because he was so so so ma-unhappy.”

 

It maybe wasn’t as bad as I was making it sound. Matt had been discreet about it. Ben kind of liked hearing stories about me getting in trouble now, so long as it wasn’t bad trouble. I didn’t get it because I didn’t like it when he got in trouble, but Daddy said that Ben was just “working through his abandonment issues,” and when he heard that I’d been naughty, and Daddy still loved me, it made him feel safer.

 

I thought there was maybe just a tinge of liking hearing about the spankings, but Ben got all red when I mentioned that, and Daddy acted like I’d said something crazy too, so I didn’t say it anymore. 

 

Regardless, Ben liked stories about me being spanked, and I’d successfully managed to clean up almost all of the toys and completely distract him, so it was a job well done, if you asked me.


	3. Emily's Spanking at the Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more complete telling of the time Emily got spanked at the cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double post day? Really? That's weird.
> 
> 2183 words and not one of them is Ben.

Emily’s POV

 

“There’s not going to be any swimming,” Matt said, giving me a look, when we pulled into the driveway of the cabin. 

 

We’d already talked about it a million times, and I sighed, “I know what you said, Daddy.”

 

“Uh huh, and every time I’ve said it, I’ve gotten back talk or a sigh or an eye roll. I don’t want to see that when we go inside. I don’t want to have to tell you that you can’t swim at all. I want you to be very clear, right now, that we are not swimming.”

 

It wasn’t fair. Just because I’d had bronchitis two whole weeks ago, Daddy was acting like getting even the tiniest bit wet outside was going to be my death. At this point, death seemed like a pleasant alternative to the constant nagging and fuzzy socks and tea.

 

“Emily Anne,” Daddy said, sounding very irritated. “Got it? No swimming.”

 

“Fine,” I gritted out.

 

“Once more, with less attitude,” he said, leaning over for a kiss. “I don’t want to be nagging and lecturing in front of everybody, baby, and I really don’t want to spank you this weekend, but I will.”

 

I had to take a deep breath in and release it, holding back a cough. That wouldn’t help. Once I was sure that I wouldn’t, I said, “I understand. No swimming.”

 

“Good girl,” he praised, kissing me again and then turning off the car. “Let’s go say hi to everybody.”

 

That part I was actually looking forward to. Daddy’s parents and Nana were at the cabin this weekend, so it wouldn’t be too busy. I liked his brothers and their families, but it was a lot having that many people around. Especially the kids. The family knew, kind of, but it was hard to relax and be myself around that many people who weren’t like us.

 

“Emily!” Ellen, Matt’s mom greeted me with a hug as soon as I hit the front porch.

 

“I see how it is,” my husband commented, smiling at his mother as he came up behind me with our bags. 

 

“You know I always wanted a daughter,” his mother replied, letting go of me with one arm to give him a hug. Up on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “But I love you for getting me one.”

 

“She likes me best,” I informed him, half smushed between them. “All the most brilliant people do.”

 

He kissed the top of my head and tugged at a piece of hair before he pulled away, “I’ll take our stuff inside.”

 

Ellen and I followed him, although I stopped as soon as I hit the living room and saw Nana. 

 

“My Emily girl,” she greeted, holding out her arms for a hug. 

 

I joined her on the couch and snuggled against her, picking up the book she’d set on her lap, “What’cha reading?”

 

Matt’s POV

 

I left her on the couch with Nana. They could talk books for hours, and I had no doubt that Em would sit right there without complaint as long as my grandmother would keep talking. 

 

That gave me time to drop our bags off in our normal room before wandering into the kitchen to find my mother.

 

As usual, she was at the countertop, rolling out a piecrust. I leaned over her to sneak a cherry out of the bowl she had sitting pitted next to her.

 

“Don’t,” she lectured, smacking the back of my hand. “I need those?”

 

“All of them?” I asked her, extremely skeptical that she needed the entire giant bowl.

 

She snorted, “I know you, Matthew. You’ll eat every last cherry in the kitchen and then pout because there’s no pie for dessert. Now go and get your grandmother and your wife something to drink.”

 

“I’m a guest?” I mock complained.

 

“Uh huh,” she nodded, carefully fitting the piecrust into the pan. “We’ve got iced tea, lemonade, water, Coke, and beer. I think Nana’s been drinking hot tea.”

 

Emily and Nana were deep in conversation when I joined them, and I had to wait a moment to break in.

 

“Drinks for anyone?” I finally managed to interject, interrupting a conversation about which Hogwarts House they’d be sorted into (Emily was convinced she’d be a Ravenclaw and Nana a Hufflepuff, but Nana thought Emily would be a Gryffyndor. She agreed on the Hufflepuff designation for herself).

 

“Yes please,” Emily said, grinning at me. Her former bad mood seemed entirely forgotten until she requested “Coke, please.”

 

She knew I wouldn’t give her caffeine after 4:00; it left her entirely unable to sleep. She also knew I wasn’t going to argue with her in front of Nana.

 

“I’m fine, dear,” Nana told me, with a pat to my hand. “Emily and I are just trying to figure out what house she’d end up.”

 

“I know what house I’d end up,” Emily told us both. “I’m a Ravenclaw.”

 

I left to get the drink, returning with a glass of water for my wife that she should have been expecting. With a kiss, I said, “You’re both wrong. You’re clearly a Gryffynclaw.”

 

“And what does that make you?” Nana asked, with a laugh.

 

“I prefer Ravendor,” Emily said. “And if I’m  Ravendor, he’s like a Huffleclaw.”

 

Our pre-dinner conversation continued in that vein until I was summoned to start the grill. The night was pleasant, with ridiculous conversations, cherry pie, and some Scrabble. At 10:00, when I said I was tired, Emily came to bed without complaint. 

 

It was the next morning that we had a problem. When I woke up, Em had somehow beaten me out of bed, silently. She wasn’t downstairs with my parents and Nana, who were eating dinner.

 

“She went down to the lake,” my father explained, focused on the New York Times in front of him. 

 

I nodded, forcing a smile, “Guess I’ll go and check on her then.”

 

I tried for nonchalant. They knew about us, but I tried not to rub it in their faces. Plus, I felt like Emily and I both deserved a little discretion. 

 

Starting down the steps, I saw Emily doing exactly what I had told her not to do. We hadn’t even packed swimsuits since I wanted to be so crystal clear that we were not swimming, but she had pulled on her shortest cutoffs along with an oversized sweater that was drooping off her shoulder. What was even the point of the shorts if she needed a sweater? She stood thigh-deep in the water, swaying just a bit with the waves. I backtracked long enough to grab a beach towel from the railing around the porch.

 

“Hey, Em,” I greeted, once I got down to the edge of the water. Standing next to her discarded shoes. “What are you doing, baby?”

 

That got some motion, as she jumped and spun, somehow not falling in the water, “Daddy!” she greeted, sounding very shocked.

 

“Em,” I replied. “How about we go for a little hike. It’s still pretty quiet out in the woods. Maybe we can see some wildlife or just have some privacy.”

 

She’d gone pretty pale at that, but she slowly made her way out of the water until she stood in front of me.

 

“Put on your shoes,” I instructed her quietly. Sternly.

 

Emily’s POV

 

Daddy was supposed to be sleeping in! He’d been awake for weeks because I was coughing! And I’d only meant to go look at the water. It was all soothing. The way he was looking at me, I was guessing that explanation was not going to fly. 

 

He handed me the towel, not saying anything as I swiftly dried off my legs and shoved my bare feet back into the beat up canvas sneakers. Standing, I brushed off the sand from my shorts and handed back the beach towel.

 

Daddy, and he was most definitely Daddy right now, tossed the towel across a nearby boulder before taking my hand and starting toward the trail. His voice was quiet but firm as he began his lecture.

 

“I don’t know what you were thinking, Emily Anne,” he said. “I distinctly remember you agreeing not to swim.”   
  


“I wasn’t swimming,” I tried.

 

“I don’t want to hear that,” he told me, almost snarling. “You were in the water. Against the rules. And not just the rules about not swimming when you’re not feeling well, but the rule about not swimming by yourself. Is that safe, Emily Anne?”

 

“No, sir, but I wasn’t that deep.”

 

We were in the woods now, and he stopped what he was doing to look me full in the face as he asked, “Do you really think that’s an excuse here, Em?”

 

I wanted to say it was. It kind of was. He was sounding like he didn’t want to hear it though, and I couldn’t help but nervously ask, “What’re you going to do?”

 

He didn’t force me to answer his question, instead squeezing my hand and starting to walk again. He led me deeper into the woods as he quietly explained, “I’m going to find a rock or a log, and we’re going to have a discussion.”

 

I kind of knew what kind of discussion, but I had to try, asking hopefully, “Talking discussion?”

 

“Pants down and over my lap discussion,” he replied, giving my hand another squeeze. 

 

“But-”

 

“Pants down and over my lap,” he interrupted. “We’re going to discuss your decision to sneak down to the lake and go into the water, by yourself, after you were explicitly told not to.”

 

Matt’s POV

 

Em actually let out a little whimper at that, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, knowing she had to have tears going at this point.

 

As much as we needed to do this, I still felt badly. This was not how I liked to spend our time on vacation. I found a rock pretty quickly and stepped off the trail to sit down, holding both of her hands and forcing eye contact.

 

“Why’re we doing this?” I asked.

 

“I didn’t-”

 

“Emily Anne,” I interrupted, “don’t. You know what you did. Let’s not draw this out.”

 

“I went in the water after you said not to,” she muttered, dropping her eyes. She looked up briefly, “It wasn’t swimming though, Daddy. And you technically said no swimming.”

 

She had known what I meant, but I didn’t feel like discussing it further. She knew. I silently took down her shorts, opting to leave her underwear alone. It was secluded up here, but I still wanted to give her some privacy. Resting my hand on her cotton covered bottom, I sighed.

 

“You knew what I meant,” I lectured, slapping down very hard, right from the start. “You knew that I meant no water. And even if you didn’t know that, and you weren’t not allowed in the water right now, you know better than to go in the water ever by yourself.”

 

I had continued spanking her as I talked, making every hard smack count. I carefully slapped the crease where her thighs met her backside, not wanting to leave fingermarks further down her legs given how short her shorts were.

 

It didn’t take long for me to have her crying the tears that I got when she already felt badly, and I finished as quickly as I could, setting her on her feet and brushing tears off her cheeks.

 

“All done,” I said, even as she cried. I hugged her and let her snot up my shirt.

 

“Sorry, Daddy,” she cried.

 

“I know, baby,” I murmured, rubbing her back. “We’re all done, and you’re my good girl, and I know you’re going to stay out of the water the rest of the trip, right?”

  
She nodded, “Uh huh.”

 

“Alright then,” I soothed, continuing to rub her back and giving her time to collect herself.

 

Once she finished crying, I pulled her shorts back up, carefully checking that you couldn’t see any marks of the spanking once she was dressed.

 

“Ready to go back?” I asked her, holding out my hand.

 

She took it, and we started back down the trail. Her eyes were red rimmed and her cheeks tearstained, but it was over and done with.

 

“You know,” she said, just before we left the woods, “you really did only say no swimming?”

 

I stopped and gave her a look, and she held her hands up and grinned at me, “I’m just saying, Daddy.”

 

“Uh huh,” I nodded, turning her toward the end of the trail and swatting her in a way that would look playful if anyone saw it while still stinging quite a bit after the spanking. “And you knew what I meant, Emily.”

 

She winced and shrugged, grinning at me before she took off, yelling, “I’m going to beat you back and eat all your mom’s muffins.”

 

I took off after her, pacing myself so she could win. It wasn’t the best start to a trip, but it looked like the rest of the weekend would be better.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the stress may be getting to Emily a little bit; she's all over the place in this chapter.

Emily’s POV

 

“They’re going to love you,” I murmured to Ben, kissing him and giving him a hug as we waited for Daddy to finish locking up.

 

He snuggled up against me in the backseat, playing with Owlie. His thumb was in his mouth, and he was nervous; I could tell.

 

“They will,” I promised, playing with his pretty curls. “They’re going to love you so much, they probably won’t even want to let you go home.”

 

That only made him more tense, and I hugged him tight, “But they feel like that ‘bout me and kind of Daddy too, so they won’t keep you. They’ll just hug you and feed you and prob’ly make you a blanket. Nana likes to make blankets for people when she likes them. She’s prob’ly already got a scarf and stuff knit for you. I bet she’ll make it green so it matches your eyes.”

 

My Ben wouldn’t say anything, and I admitted, “I was scared the first time too, you know?”

 

“You were?” he asked.

 

I nodded, “Daddy’s takin’ a long time.”

 

“Why were you scared?”

 

Shrugging, I explained, “I didn’t grow up in a family like yours, but it wasn’t like Daddy’s either. My parents weren’t mean to me. They just weren’t...there. So when they really weren’t, after the accident, it wasn’t even different.”

 

Ben hugged me, and I smiled, “But it’s okay now because I had crappy parents who didn’t want kids, and you had crappy parents who didn’t want you, but Daddy wants us both, and we get bonus family because his parents and Nana are really that nice, my Ben.”

 

“What if they don’t like me?” he whispered.

 

“They’re nice, Ben, not crazy,” I explained. “And they’d have to be crazy to not like you. Ev’rybody likes you. Me. Daddy. Lucy. Aunt Charlotte. Aunt Sarah. Mikey. Mr. Mac. Frankie.”

 

“My parents didn’t,” he told me. “And neither did Da-David.”

 

He had cut himself off, not saying Daddy David, and that made me sad. Mostly he called him just David now. He didn’t deserve to be called a daddy. 

 

“Fine,” I sniffed. “All the best people like you though, My Ben. And I swear that Nana is one of the best people. I like her more than just about anybody except you and Daddy. And she’s going to love you.”

 

“What if she don’t?”

 

He was being ridiculous. Of course Nana was going to love him. Who couldn’t love my Ben, with his curls and his dimples and the way he was just so cute all the time doing everything? That was crazy talk. It didn’t matter though; he was still nervous, so I hugged him tighter.

 

“Then we’ll leave and never ever ever see them ever again. Ever. Until they decide that they love you too,” I explained.

 

“Daddy wouldn’t,” Ben told me.

 

I snuggled him, explaining, “You know what Daddy kept telling me when you came to stay here? Before he knew you were my Ben, and he just thought you were visiting?”

 

“Lots of stuff.”

 

“Yeah, but this is Ben specific,” I said. “He kept asking, ‘are you okay, Em? Are you okay?’ about a million times. He kept saying that he’d find you someplace else to say because he cared about you, but I was his, and he had to make sure I was okay.”

 

Ben had looked at me then, eyes wide, and I hurried to get to the point, “But I wouldn’t let him, my Ben. I kept telling him no because I knew you were my Ben, even if he didn’t. And he loved you too, but he woulda made you leave if it made me sad that you were here because I was his. And now you’re his. Which means that you and me are the most important in his life ever, and he’d do anything, cut him anybody off, for us. So you don’t gotta worry because Daddy will always pick us first. And I will always pick you, so it’s okay.”

 

“Everybody ready to go?” Daddy asked, opening the door and getting in. “Hey? Am I a chauffeur today?”

 

“Drive on, Jeeves,” I instructed. “My Ben and I need snuggles and little time, please and thank you.”

 

Daddy snorted and buckled his seatbelt, starting us on our trip, and I snuggled close to my Ben. He still seemed nervous, and I wished Daddy could get us there right away so Ben would see that I was right.

 

Matt’s POV

 

It’s a long trip to the cabin. 12 hours, in normal traffic. With the four day weekend, I knew we were more likely to hit traffic jams, and I’d decided to split the trip into two days, stopping overnight in Cincinnati. 

 

I had a sneaking suspicion that Ben didn’t have a ton of experience staying in hotels for pleasure, although from stories he’d told I suspected he’d spent some time living in a few pay by the week establishments. I wanted to get him used to the way we traveled. Em and I had always liked going on vacations, and my job offered enough flexibility, and Em’s trust fund enough money, that we had generally gone somewhere at least once a month.

 

It had been close to a year since Ben came to live with us, and this was our first trip. I was hoping it would be the first of many. Emily had been agitating for a trip to Florida to see the ocean and Disney World. She wanted to take him to New York  and Seattle to just be tourists together. She wanted to take him everywhere he’d never been, but we needed to get through this trip first.

 

It took us 8 hours to get to Cincinnati, and I was glad I’d thought to book a room. By the time we got off the expressway, I was hearing a fair amount of whining from the back, all of it from Em.

 

“Give it back, Ben,” Emily complained, as they scuffled over something.

 

“Hey,” I said, feeling like I’d repeated this a million times in the last hour or so, “knock it off, you two.”

 

“‘m not doin’ anything, Daddy,” Emily informed me, outraged.

 

“Uh huh,” I pulled up to the front door, putting the car in park and turning to look at them. “I need you two to cool it, please. I’m going to go in and check us in, and then we’ll go inside. I’d like to get some dinner and maybe go for a swim, but we can’t do any of that if I’ve got two hooligans on my hands. So, can you two behave for Daddy? Please”

 

“Sorry, Daddy,” Ben was earnest in his apology.

 

“Ben won’t-”

 

“Stop,” I cut Emily off. “Worry about your own self, Emily Anne. Can you behave?”

 

“But-”

 

“Can. You. Behave?” I repeated.

 

She looked screwed her mouth up in a scowl, but she nodded shortly, “Yes.”

 

“Good girl,” I praised. “Stay in here. I’ll be out in a second.”

 

It took more than a second, as I had known it would, and I was relieved to find them still sitting obediently in the car when I returned with the bellhop.

 

“Alright, let’s go upstairs,” I said, opening the backseat and smoothly sweeping anything incriminating into a tote bag. 

 

They were quick to get out of the car, and we were soon on our way to the room, Ben silent and still beside me while Em practically vibrated with energy. She managed to contain herself until I’d tipped the bellhop, and he’d left, but she then went running into the bedroom and flung herself on the king size bed.

 

“I love hotels,” she said, rolling onto her back and spreading out.

 

“Daddy?” Ben asked, not moving from his unobtrusive position by the door, “why is the room so big?”

 

I’d had to rent a suite. I hadn’t wanted to explain to anyone why three adults needed only one bed, and it had seemed the easiest. 

 

“Occupancy laws,” I explained, kissing his forehead. “How’re you doing?”

 

He shrugged, and I tilted his chin up to kiss him on the lips, “Ben?”

 

“Okay.”

 

He was subdued, and I let it drop, taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom so I could ask them both and let Emily answer.

 

“What shall we do now?”

 

“Swimming!” Emily insisted, standing up and bouncing a little on the bed. “We been sitting too long, Daddy. Plus, if we swim now, while everyone is at dinner, the pool will be empty. Then, we can go eat, and then we can swim again.”

 

  
“So we’re swimming twice?” I asked her, catching a hand to tug her down as I sat on the bed. “Don’t jump on the bed, baby.”

 

“Three times,” Emily stated, sitting on the bed beside me. “My Ben wants to swim.”

 

Ben was standing nearby, but he hadn’t joined us, and I held out my free hand, “Is that true, my Ben?”

 

“Not your Ben, Daddy,” Emily corrected. “He’s mine.”

 

I rolled my eyes at Ben, joking, “She doesn’t share. Come here, peanut. I missed you all day.”

 

Ben allowed himself to be tugged gently to my lap, although he said, “We were with you, Daddy.”

 

“In the backseat,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I didn’t get my cuddles in. Now, are you up for a swim before dinner, or are you hungry?”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

He was quiet, but it was an actual verbal answer, and I decided to let Em make the choice. She needed to work off energy, and it was better for Ben if he was allowed a little exercise to deal with the stress and anxiety. 

 

“Alright then,” I agreed. “We’ll swim for half an hour, but no complaining when I say it’s time for dinner, deal?”   
  


“Oh, Daddy,” Emily scrunched up her face, “half-”

 

“Emily! One complaint, and there will be no swimming after dinner.”

 

“Fine,” she sighed, getting up and going to her suitcase to find her swimsuit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short update, but Emily and Matt needed a chat.

Em’s POV

 

We had been in the car forever. I just wanted to swim. My legs felt like they had bugs in them, and I needed to move ‘em or I’d go nuts.

 

I quickly threw on my swimsuit and a coverup, but then I had to wait for Ben and Daddy. While Ben was using the potty, Matt grabbed my hands and pulled me in close for a “chat.”

 

“Em,” he started, “you know I don’t do this, but I”m going to ask you to calm down and behave because Ben is on edge. It’s stressful for him when you’re naughty, and that’s normally fine, but right now, I’d appreciate it if you tried to get a handle on the attitude so we don’t upset him more. Please? Be Daddy’s big girl?”

 

I rolled my eyes, but he tapped my chin before I could talk, “Emily, please?”

 

I didn’t want to agree. We had rules. I was responsible for me, and Ben was responsible for Ben, and Daddy was responsible for us both. I was not supposed to spend all of my time worrying about Ben’s feelings. Daddy said. 

 

But, he was right. Ben was super nervous, and I was acting up because his nervousness was making me tense, and that was stressing Daddy out. It was a bad situation, and I sighed. I didn’t want a spanking. I just needed to let off some steam.

 

“Okay, Daddy,” I agreed, swearing to myself that I’d try harder. Maybe the swim would help.

 

Matt’s POV

 

I knew Em was nervous too, although I wasn’t positive of the reasons for that nervousness. Whatever the reasons, it was manifesting itself in bad behavior, which was not making anyone’s stress levels better. 

 

Luckily, if Emily found anything motivating, it was making Ben happy. I didn’t like to do it this way, encouraging good behavior in one to make sure that the other one was okay, but I was at my wit’s end. If I was being honest, I was plenty nervous myself.

 

I wasn’t worried that my family wouldn’t like Ben. As Emily and I had repeatedly told him, they were going to love him. Ben was loveable. What I was worried about was how Emily was going to handle them loving Ben.

 

She adored Ben, and we both knew it. She was also used to being the center of everyone’s attention at the cabin. My family was all boys, and my mother and grandmother adored Emily in the way that only women who had been waiting for another woman for two generations could be. We’d had other in-laws, but Em had no one, and my mom and nana knew that. They had taken her in as much because she had no one as because she was a girl. 

 

Ben could just be so pathetic though, and he tugged on everyone’s heartstrings. Even Mac, someone I would not consider to be mushy in the least, quieted himself around Mac, moving slower and more gently. He was going to melt their hearts. I just knew it.


End file.
